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Having a budget and making sure you have everything accounted for will help you keep money in your pocket. This list of 20 Things You are Forgetting When Making Your Budget will help you make sure there is nothing forgotten.
Things forgottenwhen making a budget
Every month you pay your bills and are following the budget that you have made but somehow every month it seems as if you are spending more money than the budget you have says you are going to. The issue may not be the money but more so that you have not included everything you needed to in your budget, many people have Things forgotten when making a budget. Here is a list of 20 Things forgotten when making a budgetAlso remember that just because you put the money in the budget for it does not mean you have to spend it, it is in the budget for incase you need to but not spending it and then letting that money for that expense accumulate is ok too.
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20 Things You are Forgetting When Making Your Budget
Car expenses.
You have the car payment in the budget but things like the registration, money for repairs needs to be included as well.
Children’s activities.
You pay the monthly bill but what about the things they need. For karate does your kid need a replacement mouthpiece every few months, do they need new cleats for soccer practice? Those things should all be included in your budget.
Pet expenses
Their food, new leashes, cat litter, vet bills, and having an emergency fund set up in case something happens to your pet.
Clothing
Clothing is one of the things forgotten when making a budget, and it can be costly especially with growing kids you are going to be needing new clothing for when they outgrow a size.
Shoes
Just like with clothing, it can be costly to buy shoes but pulling money from your paycheck and keeping it in the budget will mean you have it when you need it.
Gifts for birthday parties.
If you have kids you know that birthday parties pop up all the time. Having a budget for them is important. You can also make your own gift closet with gift items you buy on clearance but still put money in the budget for that so when you see something on sale you can grab it without hurting your budget.
Eating out
You put groceries on the list but did you put a separate amount for how much you spend on dining out?
The difference in heating/cooling costs.
In April-June we do not need to put on the heat or the AC but come June our electric bill rises because of the AC and then from August – October again we don’t need heat or AC but once the end of October hits it is time to turn on the heat again. Making sure you are budgeting enough for the changes of these expenses is important. The same if you are having to buy oil to heat your house, is that in the budget even if you are not needing it each month.
Annual payments
This is a big one when it comes to Things forgotten when making a budget. Things that you pay once a year that are not recurring each month are sometimes items that are forgotten when doing a budget and then when they come out of the bank account throw you off.
Household maintenance
Things like getting the snowblower fixed before winter or getting the fireplace cleaned out. They don’t happen each month but they still need to be budgeted for.
Donations
Do you donate money to local groups or to your church? Make sure those expenses are in your budget.
Haircuts
If you have a son who likes his hair kept short then you will be going to the barber about once every 6 weeks, if you get your hair highlighted then that is about every 4-8 weeks depending on how often you go.
Work clothing
I put this separate from clothing because it is one that can be forgotten even easier than clothing. How often do you need to buy new work shoes or new pants for work?
Subscriptions
Things like your monthly beauty box, or your magazine subscriptions.
Travel expenses
If you go on a trip are you making sure that in your budget you are planning for those extra expenses? It is important to budget and plan for vacations and trips you want to take. Be sure to also check out inexpensive vacation ideas, how to save money on day trips and how to go to Disney for cheap.
Guests visiting
While for most of us this is not a monthly thing but more so around the holidays having people stay at your house for a few days ads up. There are extra costs for things like food, laundry being done, more electricity being used ect. Many people don’t think about this one and it can be costly, especially if you have company often so make sure you are adding this to your budget while you are reading about the Things forgotten when making a budget.
Medical bills
When you go to the doctor even if you have insurance things like your deductible and your prescriptions you have to get still have an out of pocket cost on top of the health insurance bill you pay each month
Birthdays
Things like cake, a party for the kids, gifts ect. Birthdays can be expensive if you are not planning ahead for them, but since they do come every year on the same day it is easy to plan for them and have them in the budget. Be sure to also check out how to save money on Birthday Parties.
Holiday gifts
This is especially true for November and December when most people are doing their holiday shopping however pulling money into the budget each month will give you the ability to shop as needed. Be sure to check out how to save money on Holiday gifts.
Entertainment.
A trip to the movies, a trip to the store to rent a movie and getting snacks all add up. It sounds silly to budget for something that is supposed to be fun and random but you don’t want to spend money you don’t have to do so.
To help with saving money be sure to check out Frugal Family fun ideas, and How to save money going to the movies for tips on how to save.
School supplies
If you have kids you buy them at the beginning of the year but what about the rest of the year. A backpack breaks, they need new pencils or pens ect.
Hopefully, this list of Things forgotten when making a budget will help you not miss anything when you are working on setting up your own budget. Note not all of the 20 Things forgotten when making a budget are monthly items, but some are paid every year and when you are doing your budget you need to include them as well or your budget will be off.
Be sure to also check out how to save money on school supplies.
Looking for more posts like Things forgotten when making a budget?check out these otherHelpful Budgeting tips to go along with things you are forgetting to put in your budget:
More Ways to Save Money
- 5 Tips for putting more money in your Savings account
- How to get $1000 in Your Savings Account in a Year
- 52 Week Money Saving Challengeto build your savings account for ways to put money into your savings account.
- How to Stop living above your Means
